Klejda Hudhra, Iris Hoxha, Ela, Delina Xhafaj
Objective: Our objective was to determine students´ perception of the current Pharmacy curriculum in the University of Medicine, Tirana (Albania).
Methods: A 10 questions survey regarding different aspects of Pharmacy curriculum (2008-2013) and personal data was developed by faculty staff and filled by Pharmacy students in their last year of graduation, before their final practice exam. To summarize the data, descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used. Main outcome measures were: frequency of students´ satisfaction with different aspects of Pharmacy curriculum and perceived indispensable and not indispensable subjects of Pharmacy curriculum.
Results: The survey response rate was 99% (107 students), showing their high interest in participating. A majority of the students (79.4%) agreed that there is a need to change the pharmacy curriculum; however, they assess the current curriculum with an average of 7.32 (SD 1.388) on a scale from 1 to 10. A significant number (66%) of the students in our study were satisfied with the knowledge gained to practice their future profession as pharmacists. Conclusion: Pharmacy students´ perception suggests need for a change in the current curriculum, especially towards active learning activities and students´ evaluation methods. Their suggestions on different aspects of the actual curriculum would be useful in future curriculum assessment.
